barbara.henriques@trincoll.edu
Office Hours: T/Th 4:00-5:00 PM; W 2:30-4; and by
appointment.
Alternative education has historically been a vital component of the educational environment in the United States. Currently, alternative schools respond to a wide variety of academic, cognitive, and social issues. In this course we will examine diverse models of alternative schooling; the origins and motivations of the alternative school movement; and the effects alternative schools have had and may continue to have on the broader educational system.
Beginning with a historical perspective on American education and the role of alternative models throughout this history, students will build an appreciation and understanding of the many factors that may contribute to the development of alternative schooling models. The course will examine political and social factors and evaluate how these contribute to alternative educational policies at the local, state, and federal levels.
Hartford’s educational community offers a unique opportunity to observe alternative models and to allow students to develop first hand knowledge about the implementation of alternative. As a culminating activity for the course, students will prepare a formal proposal for a Charter School. This experience will provide an opportunity for students to apply theory and research to address a specific educational need. The Charter School proposal will be designed as a model solution in light of the historical, economic, political, and social realities of the communities involved.
Student outcomes for this course include:
· recognize one’s potential to significantly impact future educational options through readings and discussions
· understand an individual’s potential impact on future educational policy and practice through readings, discussions and research investigations
· understand the workings of an alternative model school in the Hartford area through a participatory-observation experience
· construct alternative models to address issues related to learning theory, gender equity, social equality, and/or special group needs through the development of a proposal for a Charter School
· establish ones voice on issues of school choice, equity, citizen participation, and educational policy through class assignments and discussions.
Grading and Assignments:
Class Preparation, Attendance, and Participation: Class attendance is mandatory for this class. The class will be conducted in a
seminar fashion and each member of the class is responsible for being present
and prepared to contribute to our discussions. Students will be asked to write
summary responses to several assigned readings in the course. The readings will focus on: the history
of alternative schooling in the United States; current research on cognition
and it's implications for learning; governmental and economic factors and their
effects on schooling practices; and a variety of proposed models of alternative
education practices. Be on
time to class and ready to contribute.
Preparation, attendance and participation count 15% toward your final grade.
Research Paper: Students will research an aspect of alternative education. You will be responsible for gathering information from print and non-print resources. All resources used in your research must be cited. The final product of your research will be a class presentation and a paper of 6-10 pages. Link your research to questions we have raised in class: equity, costs, benefits, disadvantages, replicability, etc. Possible topics for investigation include: programs to address students with special needs; home schooling; for profit educational corporations; the Edison Project; school vouchers; the International Baccalaureate Program, brain research and its implications for school reform; government and its role in school reform, etc. Other possibilities may also be addressed with prior approval of the instructor. You will be responsible for a handout to all class members on your topic the Tuesday or Thursday prior to your presentation.
This assignment counts 20%
toward your final grade. The
presentation and the paper each count for half of the 20%.
Alternative School Placement: Students will be responsible for organizing an on-site placement to
schools within the area. Students
are required to spend 12 hours in a school placement. Placements will begin at the end of September. While in the placement students must
keep a log of their experience.
The log will be used to write a paper on this experience and to provide
for in class discussion on the school. A written report (6-10 pages) must be
submitted on the day your team presents.
At the conclusion of all the presentations we will conduct a comparative
analysis of the various alternative educational models. 25%
(continued)
FINAL PROJECT: Charter School Proposal Total 40%
Students will work as a team to research Charter Schools. Materials will include required texts for the course and resources located through journals and the Internet. This project will allow you to apply your knowledge of the historical, political and sociological perspectives to design a school to address specific educational concerns.
The result of your research and planning will be a proposal for a Charter School. In this proposal you must establish the need for your school, the mission of the school, its goals and objectives, and answer the following questions: How will you utilize community resources to address social and financial issues? Will your school address the needs of a particular population of students, a particular approach to learning, the need of preparing all students for a technologically rich future, or some other identified needs? Who will attend your school? How will it be funded? How will you meet your goals and objectives and evaluate your success?
Prior to the presentation of your proposal each group must meet with me to present an overview of what they will present and be able to explain why they designed the charter the way they did. At this meeting you need to have a plan for the class presentation and models of any handouts, overheads, or Power Point slides. All members of your group must attend this meeting.
Following your meeting to discuss your presentation, your charter school proposal will be presented in class. Members of the class will represent the local educational authority responsible for endorsing Charter Schools. Use of visuals and handouts for this presentation is strongly recommended. Following your presentation members of the class may pose questions to your group and/or ask for further clarification of any ideas presented.
A complete copy of the proposal that incorporates any new ideas that result from the presentation is due on must be handed in following the presentation.
Proposal 10%
Proposal Meeting 10%
Presentation 10%
Peer Evaluation 10%
Grading: See Trinity College Academic Catalog.
Part I: The History of Alternative Education
Tu 4 Introduction to the Course
Th 6 Time-Line
Assignment: Identify factors that have contributed to educational reform. Use resources in the library or via your computer to generate items to add to the time line. Sources may include journals, educational organizations, ERIC, etc.
Tu 11 Discussion of Time-Line
Assignment: How have the factors included in the time-line influenced education and educational reform? What patterns can you identify that lead to reform or innovation in education?
Th 13 The Progressive Movement
Assignment: Dewey and Kilpatrick
Tu 18 Waldorf Schools/Montessori Schools
Assignment: Go to this site and explore some of the commonly asked questions about Waldorf Education: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~cromhale/Wald_faq.html To investigate Montessori Education I would recommend the following site: http://www.montessori-ami.org/ami.htm
Th 20 The Arts Movement
Assignment: Readings from A Light in Dark Times by Maxine Greene.
Tu 25 The Math/Science Movement
Assignment: Reading by Campbell, “Learning Mathematics in Poor Communities” and check out the web-site of a Math/Science School in North Carolina at: http://www.ncssm.edu/
Th 27 Multicultural Education
Assignment: Reading: Nieto, The Light in Their Eyes Chapters 1-3.
Tu 2 Magnet Schools
Assignment:
Meier, The Power of Their Ideas
Th 4 Inter-district Magnet Schools
Assignment: CREC Readings
Tu 9– no classes (Trinity Days)
Th 11 Charter Schools
Assignment: Nathan, charter schools, Parts One and Two and Sarason, Charter Schools: Another Flawed Educational Reform? Chapters 2-5.
Tu 16 Topic #1
Assignment: School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #1
Th 18 Topic #2
Assignment:
School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #2
Tu 23 Topic #3
Assignment:
School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #3
Th 25 Topic #4
Assignment:
School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #4
Tu 30 Topic #5
Assignment:
School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #5
Th 1 Topic #6
Assignment:
School Placement Assignment and Handout for Topic #6
Tu 6 How do alternative schools try to address societal issues?
Assignment: This is an on-going assignment for the next two to three weeks. Meet with your groups to discuss your plans for your Charter School. Develop a list of questions you will be addressing. Remember this is a group assignment and all members of the group are responsible for an equal share of the work involved in the preparation and presentation of this project. Group members will also be responsible for evaluating one another.
Read: Nathan, charter schools, Parts Three and Four for guidelines on starting a charter school. You will also want to investigate the guidelines for charters in various states on the Internet.
Th 8 Topic #7
Assignment:
See November 6th assignment. Handout for Topic #7.
Tu 13 Topic #8
Assignment:
See November 6th assignment. Handout for Topic #8.
Th 15 Topic #9
Assignment:
See November 6th assignment. Handout for Topic #9.
Tu 20 Topic #10
Assignment:
See November 6th assignment. Handout for Topic #10.
Charter Proposal I Group must schedule their meeting with me.
Th 22
– no classes (Thanksgiving)
Tu 27 Presentation of Charter Proposal I
Assignment: Written, in-depth evaluation of Charter Proposal
Charter
Proposal I Group must schedule their meeting with me.
Th 29 Presentation of Charter Proposal II
Assignment: Written, in-depth evaluation of Charter Proposal
Tu 4 Presentation of Charter Proposal III
Assignment: Written, in-depth evaluation of Charter Proposal
Th 6 Presentation of Charter Proposal IV
Assignment: Written, in-depth evaluation of Charter Proposal
Tu 11 Charter
School Proposals and the last written, in-depth evaluation of the proposal presentations
are due in my office by 4PM.